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October 3, 2019

Creamy Sausage Mushroom Pasta (Dinner For Two)

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Creamy Sausage Mushroom Pasta with rigatoni and a creamy white Alfredo sauce is a hearty and comforting dinner for two. Serve it with a side salad for a complete meal.


Sausage Mushroom Pasta with rigatoni and a creamy white Alfredo sauce is a hearty and comforting dinner for two.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Walmart. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hello there! It’s been a minute since I last posted a brand new recipe. I promise it’s for a good reason.

If you didn’t hear the news through my email list, I’ve been working on launching a new business. It’s not related to food but still hope you’re interested.

And I promise this is the only time I’ll mention it here. I know you only want recipes from me and nothing else.

When I’m not shooting food, I’m out capturing the streets and bridges of Pittsburgh. I decided to take those photos and officially launch City Life Adventures where you can buy my photos as prints, magnets, coasters, and more.

I can also print food photos by special request to decorate your kitchen.

Don’t worry – I’m not giving up food! In fact, I came back today to share this brand new dinner for two recipe with you: Creamy Sausage Mushroom Pasta with rigatoni in a white cream sauce.

Because I’ve been so busy launching my new business, I couldn’t spend too much time cooking dinner. As tempting as it is to throw a frozen pizza in the oven and call it a day, that wasn’t going to work every night for two months.

That’s when having quick dinner ideas come in handy.

When you’ve been cooking for as long as I have, you memorize certain formulas, such as how to make a quick pasta sauce.

With this knowledge, I can look at what I have on hand and come up with a hearty and comforting dinner in under an hour.

Here I made a creamy Alfredo sauce with sausage, mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Then I tossed it with some rigatoni.

Serve it alongside a salad or roasted vegetables to make it a complete meal.


Revival On Lincoln Mushroom Dish

This creamy sausage and mushroom rigatoni recipe was inspired by a dish I ate at a local Pittsburgh restaurant called Revival On Lincoln.

Their chef Jamie Sola along with eight other chefs across the U.S. teamed up with Walmart in a program called Rediscovering America.

This program showcases Walmart’s commitment to supporting local farmers and chefs with fresh and affordable locally grown produce.

I was invited to try Jamie’s recipe in person then create my own recipe featuring Giorgio Farms white button mushrooms. He made sausage stuffed mushrooms with a mushroom cauliflower puree and roasted mushrooms with dried cherries.

It’s amazing how something so simple can be cooked in multiple ways for the same dish.

Because his recipe was a little small for a full meal, I decided to take some of the ingredients – the mushrooms, sausage, and dried cherries – and turn them into a hearty pasta dinner for two.

Ready to start cooking? Check out Walmart’s online grocery service so you can get all your groceries ready curbside.


White Button Mushrooms for cooking

How To Cook Sausage Mushroom Pasta

There are two parts to making this dinner for two recipe: Cooking the pasta then making the sauce.

First, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Don’t add salt just yet because if you get distracted and the water reduces, it may become too salty.

Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add a handful of salt (preferably kosher but table salt works too) then the pasta. Cook until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, you can practice your time management skills by making the sauce.


Creamy Sausage Mushroom Rigatoni

Which sausage should I buy?

When choosing which sausage to buy for rigatoni, look for Italian sausage.

Italian sausage is pork sausage already seasoned, usually with fennel and garlic. Sometimes chili pepper is added, turning it into hot Italian sausage.

You can often buy it ground in a package. However, if all you see are links, you can squeeze the meat out of the casings.


Creamy Mushroom Sausage Pasta

Which pasta should I use?

I chose rigatoni because the grooves on the pasta hold the sauce more efficiently. You can also use penne or even medium shells, anything that will catch and hold the sauce.

Adding Dried Cherries To Dinner

You don’t often see dried cherries in dinner recipes, but they were a surprisingly nice touch with mushrooms and cream.

They add a small burst of sweetness, which helps balance out all of the savoriness. There’s a reason everyone says opposites attract!

Typically you would rehydrate dried cherries ahead of time, but I saved time and plumped them up by cooking them in the cream sauce.

I promise they taste good, but if you’re a bit skeptical you don’t have to add them.


Creamy Sausage Mushroom Pasta dinner for two

More Mushroom Recipes

Since you’ll have leftover mushrooms in the package, here are more mushroom recipe ideas:

  • Butternut Squash Alfredo with Spinach and Mushrooms
  • Creamy Tomato and Mushroom Pasta
  • Mushroom Rice Stuffed Chicken Breast

Creamy Sausage Mushroom Pasta (Dinner For Two)

Creamy Sausage Mushroom Pasta (Dinner For Two)

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Sausage Mushroom Pasta with rigatoni and a creamy white Alfredo sauce is a hearty and comforting dinner for two. Serve it with a side salad for a complete meal.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound (8 ounces) uncooked rigatoni pasta
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 pound (8 ounces) ground Italian sausage
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped white or yellow onion
  • 4 large white button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup dried cherries
  • 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add a big
    handful of salt then add rigatoni. Cook as directed on the package until al dente, about 12-13 minutes. Drain into colander.
  2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until hot. Add the sausage and cook until brown and no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.
  3. In the same skillet, add the butter and heat until melted., scraping up any brown bits left behind from the sausage.
  4. Add onion, mushrooms, and a big pinch of salt. Cook until
    softened, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
  5. Stir in the cream and dried cherries. Bring to a boil.
  6. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and simmer until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
  7. Stir in the cheese, basil, and cooked sausage. Taste and adjust for salt.
  8. Add the cooked rigatoni to the sauce and stir until coated.
© Carla Cardello
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Pasta, Rice, + Grains
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Walmart. Thank you for supporting me and the companies I work with as sponsored posts help pay for website hosting and groceries.

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Filed Under: Main Dishes, Pasta, Rice, + Grains, Pork + Bacon Tagged With: basil, cherry, dinner for two, garlic, heavy cream, mushrooms, onions, parmesan, sausage

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ann says

    October 16, 2019 at 2:23 AM

    I can’t find the right words to describe how delicious this dish is! I immediately cooked it as soon as I saw the recipe on the blog. It looks so appetizing on photos, but in life it is even better (duh, in life it can be eaten!). And I an also a real pasta fan. In general, I am very satisfied and recommend everyone to cook this magical creamy sausage mushroom pasta. Thank you for sharing such great and delicious recipes, love your blog!

    Reply
    • Carla says

      October 16, 2019 at 3:48 PM

      Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for letting me know as feedback is always appreciated! :)

      Reply
  2. Gina Collins says

    January 6, 2020 at 5:16 PM

    Absolutely LOVE this recipe! Parr of one of my weekly dinner meals now! I found it so hilarious that my son had a sleepover the night after I made this and him and his friend ate it for dinner that night and for breakfast… it must be delicious if 14 YOs are eating it for breakfast!

    Reply
    • Carla says

      January 7, 2020 at 11:54 AM

      Ha I can see how it would make a delicious breakfast! Glad it was a hit for everyone.

      Reply
  3. Tony says

    April 16, 2020 at 3:24 PM

    Thank you, I have a friend who is very fussy when it comes to food, he would eat a banana and walk away full and satisfied, and he is really worse than a toddler about his food, it has to be a certain colour, look, feel etc, but this when I made it for him, he ate a 1/2 plate full, that in itself is amazing.
    And the second amazing thing is he liked it!!! :-)
    So thank you

    Reply
    • Carla says

      April 16, 2020 at 3:43 PM

      Oh wonderful! I’m glad your friend enjoyed his dinner.

      Reply
  4. Angell Chesbro says

    October 11, 2020 at 1:18 PM

    is there something I can replace the mushrooms with? I’m allergic…

    Reply
    • Carla says

      October 11, 2020 at 2:49 PM

      Mushrooms are very distinct so it’s hard to find an equal substitute. However, you can use zucchini or peas. It won’t be the same flavor profile, but I think it’ll still be good to serve with the sausage.

      Reply
  5. Carly says

    November 18, 2020 at 11:13 PM

    My long distance boyfriend came to visit me in Florida from Texas back in July and he asked me to cook him dinner so I hopped on Pinterest and found this recipe. We absolutely LOVE this and we made it again when I went out to see him in September. This has become our favorite meal and he told me someday when we have kids we’re going to fix it for them and he’s gonna tell them that this was the very first meal I ever cooked for him. I have a special place in my heart for this dish.

    Reply
    • Carla says

      November 19, 2020 at 11:40 AM

      Oh wonderful! I’m happy to hear this recipe has a special place in your relationship. Thank you for sharing your story.

      Reply
  6. Aric says

    January 23, 2021 at 4:11 PM

    Knocked it out of the park!!
    Wonderful recipe. My wife and I are lactose intolerant so I used condensed goat milk and manchego cheese instead. And it was fabulous! Thank you

    Reply
    • Carla says

      January 24, 2021 at 4:28 PM

      Good to know goat milk works! Glad you enjoyed it. I like the idea of using manchego cheese.

      Reply

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I’m Carla, a 30-some childfree single woman from Pittsburgh, PA learning how to adult alone. I'm sharing recipes for two and small batch recipes made from scratch because not everybody cooks for a crowd.

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